NewzVille Desk
The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has imposed a penalty of ₹10 lakh on ANI Technologies Private Limited, which operates the ride-hailing platform Ola, for soliciting additional payments from consumers before completion of their journeys through its pre-ride ‘tip’/‘add-on’ feature.
The Authority has directed Ola to immediately discontinue the practice, holding that it misleads consumers, constitutes an unfair trade practice and employs a dark pattern.
The order was passed by the CCPA, headed by Chief Commissioner Nidhi Khare and Commissioner Anupam Mishra, following an examination of the feature that prompted consumers to make an additional payment while the app was searching for a driver, suggesting that it could improve their chances of securing a ride faster.
Although Ola subsequently renamed the ‘tip’ as an ‘add-on’, the underlying practice remained unchanged.
